Trapped
Trapped is the opening track by Dead by April on their eponymous debut album. It was solely written by Pontus Hjelm. Song information Trapped dates back as far 2007, although it's unknown exactly when the song was created. During it's early lifeline it was called All of My Dreams, but it was later changed to Trapped. Besides the fact that Pontus wrote the song solely, it's also remarkable for being one of the few early Dead by April songs to feature no scream vocals. Along with Sorry For Everything (and the bonus track Leaves Falling) it's the only song without screams on the debut album. It's one of 6 songs from the first album to reach over one million views on youtube (as of on April 7, 2014). Different versions There are 4 different recordings of Trapped. Below you will be guided through them. 'Version 1 - All of My Dreams (2007)' The first version of Trapped most likely dates back to 2007, while it was still called All of My Dreams. The last part of the song is missing from the recording, so it only runs 2 minutes and 22 seconds long. We can assume that Pontus plays all the guitar on this version and that Henrik Carlsson plays the bass. Notes: *The song's key is a half step lower than the other two recordings. On this recording, the song is in C# minor. *The vocal harmonies during the pre-chorus are very low in volume. *There are no voice effect that says "try not to wake me" during the intro. Instead there's only the keyboard effect. (00.06-00.08) *Right before the chorus there are no guitar. (00.44-00.45) *Between chorus 1 and verse 2 there are no "try not to wake me". (00.58-01.05) *There's guitar way in the background during verse 2. (01.06-01.20) 'Version 2 - Trapped Demo (2008)' The second version of Trapped is more alike with the final studio album version and was recorded in 2008. However, there were still some elements left from the first demo version. Notes: *The song is now in the right key, D minor. *"Try not to wake me" is added on top of the keyboard effect in the intro. (00.05-00.07) *There are still no guitar right before the chorus. (00.43-00.45) *"Try not to wake me" is added between chorus 1 and verse 2. Quite odd, as it was taken out during the album version. (01.00-01.02) *The guitar during verse 2 is still present. (01.05-01.17) *The tremolo effect on "all of my dreams" during the last chorus starts a bit earlier than on the album version. (02.23-02.25) 'Version 3 - Trapped Album Version (2009)' Trapped opened up Dead by Aprils first album and was recorded end of 2008-early 2009. Not much had changed since the demo version in terms of arrangements, except a couple of different drum patterns. Notes: *The drum fill before bridge 1 differs a bit from the demo version as Alex uses the snare opposed to just using toms. (00.34-00.35) *During the pre-chourses Alex adds a snare fill that wasn't featured on the demo version. (00.41) *There's a guitar pattern right before chorus 1 & 2. (00.44-00.45) *The "try not to wake me" line is removed between chorus 1 - verse 2. (00.59-01.06) *The guitar during verse 2 on the demo versions is removed. *Alex drum fill into the bridge is changed. (01.56- 01.58) * During the bridge Alex adds a fill that wasn't featured on the demo version. (02.03-02.05) *The tremolo effect on "all of my dreams" during the last chorus starts a bit later than on the demo version. (02.23-02.25) *The drum fill before the outro is different than the demo version. (02.49-02.51) Parts of Alexander Svenningson recording drums for Trapped. 'Version 4 - Trapped Heavier Mix (2011)' The fourth and final version of Trapped is found on Dead by Aprils first compilation album Stronger from 2011. It's the same recording as from the first album with a slightly new mix by Pontus Hjelm. The most significant difference is the extra reverb on the drums as well as some keyboards higher in volume. Notes: *"Try not to wake me" is added between chorus 1 and verse 2, just like on demo version 2. Live performance Trapped was for many years a staple in DBAs live set. It was often used as a concert opener back to back with Angels of Clarity ''except on rare occasions when ''Unhateable and Two Faced opened the show. From 2007-2011 it was played during every show but when the Incomparable Tour started Trapped lost its place in the live repertoire and haven't returned since. The show at Posthusplatsen in Malmö, Sweden on August 20, 2011 marks the last time Trapped was performed live. 'Vocal performances' Trapped has been sung live by all three Dead by April singers, Pontus, Jimmie and Zandro. Although Jimmie sings on the studio version of the song he has never sung the entire song live, with exception of the early parts of 2008. During the years the song has gone through loads of vocal duty changes. Below are the changes in chronological order along with snippets. 1. Jimmie - 2008 It's somewhat unclear when Trapped made its way into Dead by Aprils liveset. The earliest sound recordings of the song dates back to the early parts of 2008. During these appearances Jimmie sang all of the clean vocals. These are the only known shows where Jimmie sings the bridge part of the song live. : ''- Moshpit Open, Nykvarn, Sweden, May 17, 2008'' 2. Jimmie/Pontus - November 2008 - April 2009 Sometime in late 2008 Jimmie began getting vocal assistance from Pontus. Jimmie and Pontus shared the chorus while Pontus sang all of the bridge. It's unknown exactly when this transition occurred and for how long it lasted. '' '' : ''- KB, Malmö, Sweden, November, 2008'' 3. Jimmie/Pontus - April 2009 In April 2009 Jimmie began singing all of the choruses again and Pontus only sang the bridge. ''- Ishallen, Upplands-Väsby, Sweden, April 18, 2009'' 4. Jimmie/Pontus - May 2009 After a brief change, Pontus once again started to share the chorus with Jimmie as well as singing the bridge. : ''- Militärpalatset, Borås, Sweden, May 9, 2009'' 5. Jimmie/Pontus - June 2009 - January 2010 By June 2009 Pontus took over the vocal duties for the entire chorus. What is interesting is that he sings the chorus in a lower vocal figure while Jimmies vocal during the chorus is playback simultaneously. ''- NRJ In the Park, Malmö, Sweden, August 19, 2009'' 6. Jimmie/Pontus - January 2010 Dead by April only did one show during January 2010 and during this show Pontus sang verse 1 on top of the chorus and bridge. : ''- Club Ayer, Sollefteå, Sweden, January 30, 2010'' 7. Zandro/Jimmie - January 2010 - August 2011 When Zandro joined the band he sang all the verses, the entire brige and shared the chorus with Jimmie. ''- Rock mot Rus, Andenes, Norway, March 27, 2010''